Womens' culottes/divided skirts were actually wide, flow-y trousers. These garments did have a skirt like appearance, which apparently resulted in these being tolerated, if not fully embraced, by society. So, yes, women had a bifurcated option at an early date.Coder wrote: ↑Fri Aug 26, 2022 6:58 pm This got me thinking though - culottes/split skirts were a precursor to women wearing pants (if I have my fashion history down right) - I wonder if the opposite could be true for men. Introduce a pair of shorts that - like these - have a vaguely skirt-like appearance - market for men. Then that same product line could sell a "undivided" pair for greater comfort.
There is the concept of stealth skirts. Skirts that resemble shorts. Legs would be hinted at by deep pleats center front and center back of the skirt. (As I recall, one member had something like this, to which he added a button so the front and back of the hem could be fastened between his legs.) I think this concept could be regarded as a version of a divided skirt.